The first-ever World Vacant Homes Day is putting focus on bringing empty homes back into use

On 8 October 2025, housing professionals, campaigners and communities around the world will mark the first-ever World Vacant Homes Day. This new annual awareness day has been created to highlight one of the most overlooked issues in the housing crisis: the millions of residential properties that sit empty while people globally struggle to find secure, affordable places to live.

The idea was developed in Ireland, led by Tom Gilligan, director of services at Mayo County Council, and has quickly gained international support, including from the Empty Homes Network (EHN) here in the UK. The initiative is simple in its vision but powerful in its potential: by dedicating one day each year to the issue of vacant homes, we can focus global attention on both the problem and the solutions.

Why now?

The timing could not be more urgent. Across the world, housing affordability and supply dominate political debate. Yet hidden in plain sight is the enormous resource of long-term vacant homes.

In Ireland, the 2022 Census counted 163,433 vacant homes. Japan has over 8.5 million empty properties. In the United States, around 14.9 million dwellings are standing vacant or underused. Here in the UK, figures show around 1 million empty homes in England alone, with thousands more across Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

These numbers are more than statistics. Each empty home is a missed opportunity:

• A missed opportunity to provide a safe, secure roof for a household in need.
• A missed opportunity to revive and regenerate struggling communities.
• A missed opportunity to cut carbon emissions by reusing existing buildings rather than relying solely on new construction.

At a time when housing shortages are driving up rents, increasing homelessness and putting pressure on social housing systems, it makes no sense to leave viable homes unused.

How World Vacant Homes Day was born

Tom Gilligan and colleagues in Ireland have long championed practical action on empty homes. Recognising that vacancy is not unique to one country but shared across borders, they proposed the creation of a dedicated day to bring the issue onto the international stage.

EHN, a UK-based non-profit supporting councils and housing professionals, has joined forces with Mayo County Council and partners to launch World Vacant Homes Day in 2025. The aim is to build a coalition of local authorities, housing bodies, NGOs, community groups and individuals who see the value in tackling vacancy.

By learning from each other’s approaches, from Japan’s “akiya banks” to community-led housing schemes in the UK, the day hopes to encourage cross-border solutions and practical action.

Read more:

• Empty buildings are a housing resource waiting to be tapped – so why don’t we?
• There are so many long-term empty homes – are they the solution to UK’s housing crisis?
• Housing crisis: UK could raise billion taxing vacant homes and foreign buyers, think tank says

Why 8 October?

The chosen date is not arbitrary. World Vacant Homes Day sits within Urban October, UN-Habitat’s global month-long campaign on housing inclusion and sustainable development. It also aligns closely with World Habitat Day (the first Monday in October). By positioning itself here, the campaign ensures that the conversation about vacant homes takes place at a time when the world is already focused on housing rights and urban renewal.

Crucially, the 8 October does not compete with other major international observances. Instead, it carves out its own space to ensure that vacant homes, too often absent from policy debates, cannot be ignored.

What we hope to achieve

World Vacant Homes Day is not just about raising awareness. It is about sparking action. The campaign’s goals are threefold:

1. Awareness: making the scale of vacancy visible and understandable to the public and decision-makers alike.

2. Encouragement: showing that solutions exist, from policy tools and incentives to grassroots community initiatives.

3. Exposure: highlighting success stories internationally to inspire replication and innovation elsewhere.

Supporters will be encouraged to take part by sharing messages and case studies on social media, hosting events, and engaging politicians and communities in conversations about the role vacant homes can play in tackling housing crises.

A global challenge, a shared solution

Vacancy is often seen as a local or national issue. But the reality is that it is a global challenge, and therefore a global opportunity. By coming together under the banner of World Vacant Homes Day, we can amplify voices, share best practice, and apply collective pressure for change.

At its heart, this is not only about bricks and mortar. It is about people: families struggling to find somewhere to live, neighbourhoods suffering from blight and decline, and the environmental cost of unnecessary new construction when existing homes lie idle.

On 8 October 2025, the world will take its first step towards recognising and acting on this hidden crisis. The hope is that in years to come, World Vacant Homes Day will be more than an observance, it will be a catalyst for real change, helping unlock empty homes for the people and communities who need them most.

For more information on World Vacant Homes Day, head to Empty Homes Network’s website.Adam Cliff is policy lead at Empty Homes Network and Tom Gilligan is director of services at Mayo County Council

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

Reader-funded since 1991 – Big Issue brings you trustworthy journalism that drives real change.

Every day, our journalists dig deeper, speaking up for those society overlooks.

Could you help us keep doing this vital work? Support our journalism from £5 a month.